When Were We Kids
by xxassassinxx18
Summary: AU Matthew had a normal-ish life. Annoying brother, perverted cousin, and a popular crush that's been there for him in the darkest of times, and vice versa  but still doesn't know he exists, but with good reason, his memory has been taken!pairs inside
1. Chapter 1

_Hiya there! It's Saphire!(i wish) this is my second Fanfic, the first one fell on it's face... Oh well! I hope you like it but it's ok if you don't! _

_Now on with the show- Er... Story!  
_

Matthew Williams

Mrs. Greenwood's 5th grade classroom

Matthew Williams walked into his classroom silently. He was late not like anyone noticed anyways, but he always had hope that people would. He winced as he settled into his seat at the back of the class, the bruises from earlier that morning aching as he sat down. _Stupid me_, Matthew thought. He was under the impression that the guys at this school would not decide he looked vulnerable enough to bully, but that was in vain. They had decided to 'show him the ropes', as they so kindly put it, and locked him in a closet, but not before making sure that he knew who was in charge and that he wasn't welcome there.

Matthew rubbed his wrists where they had tied him up with a jump rope, _This school was supposed to be better... _He thought miserably, then thought about something,_ I wonder who unlocked the door for me...__ i thought they locked it._

The teacher walked up to the front of the class to begin the lesson. Matthew sighed. They had already done this lesson at his old school. He dug around in his backpack, and, after about half a minute, his hand emerged holding a sketchbook . He smiled slightly to himself. This book was his best friend, weird as it sounds. He opened to a blank page and his hands took off creating a picture that was a mystery to even himself. He slowly became absorbed in his own state of mind. In fact, he was so absorbed in his own thoughts, that he failed to notice that a single pair of eyes looked his direction. Bright red eyes...

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gilbert Beilschmidt

Gilbert watched as the new student doodled in his sketchbook. He knew why the guy was late. Not like he cared or anything... He was too way awesome to care about that new guy. But he still had a bad feeling when Ryan, the most popular guy in the class and also the biggest asshole, and his friends walked into the classroom slightly late, saying that he had 'Helped the new guy out.' Gilbert, who had been 'the new guy' at one point, knew exactly what Ryan had done. He did it to every new kid. He beat them up, then shoved them into a closet, and sometimes, when they had put up a real fight, he would tie them up, and leave them for the janitor to find (This is what had happened to himself). Almost everyone knew what Ryan did, but even if someone said something, he wouldn't get in trouble, and the person would suddenly be taken out of the school. Gilbert sighed as he thought of how screwed up society was and was glad he had unlocked the door for that kid 'cause he was just that awesome.

During his thoughts, Gilbert had been starring at his desk, and when he glanced back at the new kid, Gilbert noticed that the sleeves had been rolled up to reveal raw marks around his wrists. _I guess he was a fighter... _ He thought, and a strange sense of pride welled in his chest. Wait, what? Why the heck should he be proud of some random person who had put up a fight against Ryan? Anyone would fight if they were being pushed around, so why was he so freaking proud of this kid? It might be because he looked so tiny and scared. Or the fact that he looked so much like a girl... a cute girl at that. Gilbert had another _ 'Wait, what?' _moment before he decided that he was just tired from staying up so late on the Internet. That guy online was fun to talk to.

Gilbert glanced at Ryan to see a huge, and I mean HUGE, bruise forming on his arm. _What the Heck?_ Gilbert thought, and looked at the rest of Ryan's group. There were four of them, and they _all _had huge bruises on them. Gilbert started to put things together. _'That kid took on all _FIVE _of them and made it out alive? That's Awesome! _that had to be hard, considering those were the strongest kids in their grade and Ryan was the _Quarter Back _of the school's football team for crying out loud! (not like its any big feat in the fifth grade but still...) Gilbert looked back at the kid, who was still drawing in his sketchbook, smiling slightly. _Guess the kid can look out for himself, _he thought and turned to listen to the teacher, thinking about the new kid.

XXX

No killing the author, ok? I'm so sorry if I didn't portray the characters right! I think that Gilbert is too soft... Btw Mattie is so strong cause of hockey. Ryan is just an OC I made up at the spur of the moment 'cause I didn't want to make anyone Evil. Sorry if anything in my story upsets you, and if it does (and is not too big part of the story) tell me and I'll try and fix it :)

liked it? Hate it? Want me to stop before I make a fool of myself?(*_cough_Toolate_cough*)_ Say it in a Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia nor the characters, except maybe Austin Jones, who is Alfred's dad.

Matthew

The person Matthew loved most in the world was his Mom. She was the only people who could ever find him in a crowd, and she never forgot him. They were so similar, that they were almost identical except that she was older, had longer hair, and was taller than Matthew. She was his best friend all through elementary school, to 4th grade, but he never minded because she was all he needed.

But everything changed his fourth grade year. Matthew had come home one day to find his mom and the man she had been dating, sitting on the couch, holding hands. His heart had sunk, he knew what they were about to say, and indeed they said it.

"Mattie, Honey, you know that Austin and I have been dating for a long time, right?" She asked in a tone that Matthew couldn't place. Was it worry? Matthew nodded absentmindedly.

She continued, "Well you see he asked me to marry him, and I said yes." she sounded as if she had been considering this for a long time. Matthew suddenly knew what her tone was, begging. She was begging him for his approval. Matthew felt both happy and very sad at this.

Matthew considered what she had said, then he said, "Will it make you happy?" in his overly soft voice.

Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she said, "Yes, more than anything!"

Matthew suddenly felt very lonely, like his best friend in the world had just deserted him, and he wouldn't know for a while, that, at that moment, she had .

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

About six months after that conversation had taken place, Matthew found himself shuffled behind his new brother, Alfred. Alfred Jones. One of things that he had discovered was that he and his new brother looked almost totally the same. The only difference was in their eyes and their hair length, plus Matthew was a little taller than Alfred when he actually bothered to come out of his perpetual slouch. At their first meeting, Matthew and Alfred had gotten along like blood brothers, with Alfred trying to hug-tackle Matthew, and Matthew moving out of the way so fast that Alfred fell flat on his face. And that was what their relationship was always like: Alfred being the brute force and Matthew being the brains. Matthew loved his step-brother like a twin, so he didn't mind being overshadowed by Alfred as long as he was happy.

When Alfred and Austin moved in with Matthew and his mom, Alfred had gotten first dibs on rooms. So, of course, he wanted the one occupied room, Matthew's room. Matthew, who didn't really mind, let Alfred have the room, but Matthew soon realized why Alfred wanted his room. It was the only room that didn't have boxes stuffed in it, except the smallest one in the attic space. _Oh well..._ Matthew had thought and moved in there. It was just big enough to fit his bed, his dresser, and his desk. That was all Matthew had needed, he wasn't going to make a fuss over something so trivial, but little did he know that, that one thing was only the beginning. From then on, whenever Alfred wanted something, he got it, no matter whose, or what, it was, he got it, whether by whining or by begging or by being a brat.

But there was one thing that Matthew wouldn't let Alfred have. Hockey. That was his, and his alone, and _**no one**_was about to take that away from him. Once, when Alfred had first moved in, he had gone to one of Matthew's practices. Alfred thought it was super cool and was going to ask if he could play too, but then Matthew, who was panicking, got hit in the head with a stick, courtesy of his friend Ivan, who he had asked to do it to show Alfred how dangerous it was. After that Matthew had a huge bruise on the side of his face, but never heard Alfred say he wanted to play again, so it was worth it.

Another time Matthew had made the mistake of making Alfred pancakes, and never let that mistake go. Now every morning Alfred wanted either pancakes or a hamburger, and once he even tried to make a mix of them. That was a disaster.

When it came to family matters Matthew was often left out. But the thing that got him the worst was when the entire family had planned out a trip to the Ottawa for a week in the summer before 8th grade. Matthew was super excited! Anyone who is going on vacation is. But Matthew was even more excited because this is where he lived till he was about 5 and, before his mom had married Austin, they would go there every summer after they moved away. The family had planned to leave around 1 P.M., so the kids would have to be taken out of the last day school. That morning, they had gotten up, packed the car and gone to school. When it had gotten to 1 o'clock Matthew had been ready to leave. He waited.

1:15 Nothing.

1:30 Still nothing.

2:00 Nothing at all.

Matthew had started to worry something was wrong when they hadn't picked him up at 3:15 like normal, and it only got worse when he couldn't find Alfred. They didn't live far from the school, so Matthew just walked home, expecting the family to be there because something horrible had happened.

When he had gotten home, however, the door was locked and all the lights were out. Matthew, who had taken his key to school that day, let himself in and looked around. He soon realized what had happened, but refused to accept it. He walked into the hall where the home phone was. He picked up the receiver, put it to his ear, and started dialing his mom's cell phone number.

_Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep._

He waited. On the third ring, a cheery "Hello?" greeted his ears.

Matthew paused for a moment, then said "Hi, Mommy..." trying to use a voice that would be heard.

There was silence on the other end, then "Who is this?".

Matthew struggled against his tears "Matthew, Matthew Williams. Your son?" he almost begged with her.

There was more silence then "OH MY GOD! WE FORGOT MATTIE!" he heard her shouting at the other occupants of the car before she was back on the line, apologizing so loud that she couldn't hear Matthew crying softly in the background.

"Mom you know what? It's fine. You guys have fun. You'll only be gone a couple days and I can take care of myself, plus you need to see your family." Matthew said in the loudest voice that he had used in a long, _long _time. He was pissed, yes, but that didn't mean that he had to ruin everyone else's happiness. After he said that he hung up the phone before his Mom could say any more.

That was the time that he realized that he had lost his best and only friend.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

_I know, I know. It's random and gloomy, but right now I needed to write or I would go absolutely crazy. You see I've been sick and I am all drugged on this medicine my mom gave me, and for some weird reason it makes me want to write super depressing stuff. I wrote one for Gilbert but I would probably been killed by any Ludwig or Feli fans that read it so I decided against it, because I rather like my life. _

_Anyways I will have a very messed up update schedule (Read: none at all) so I'm super sorry in advance._

_Hey I need ideas or I wont ever get this story done, so I'm beggin for your help! And I need a name for Mattie's mom. I'll give you a cookie?_

_I am addicted to Reviews so please leave me some!_


	3. Chapter 3

**This is a journal that i had to write for school and i thought it would be some what fitting, and plus i just needed to upload something so you wouldn't think i forgot about you**. **this one might be replaced later on but here it is for now...**

Gilbert was having a horrible day. He had been picked on all throughout science because they were learning about Albinism, and in maths afterwards. In his Literature class he had his books hidden from him by the "popular" kids, and to make it worse, when he actually found them, he found that they had written all over them. Now his books shone with the words "Loser" and "Pale-Freak" and others. You see Gilbert had been born an Albino, so that automatically made him a target for bullying. He normally could handle this, but today was an exception. It was his Birthday, and he had, held onto the illusion that they leave him alone today, but it had been in vain. As his English class progressed, he was constantly having notes passed to him and small objects thrown at him. While they were doing their spelling, Gilbert felt something sharp hit just above the shoulder blade. He turned around to find Elizabeta Hedrvary, the girl who sat behind him in every class, holding an open stapler aimed at him.

"Crap!" he hissed out through his teeth, barely audible, scooting forward to escape the shower that he knew would come in moments, and it did.

When the bell rang signalling lunch, he was the first one out of the classroom and to his home room, but he somehow managed to get shuffled to the back of the lunch line. And like always, there was nowhere to sit.

Gilbert, on the verge of tears, threw his whole lunch away and walked out to the hallway that connected the school to the cafeteria. There he sat down with his back against the wall and head in his hands. He silently let the tears poll down his face. He only slightly registered the sound of hurried footsteps coming down the hall and pausing in front of him. He only lifted his head when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at the hand and then put his head back in his hands. He spent another full five minutes there crying. The hand stayed there the entire time, and only left when he was only sniffling.

Then the person who had touched his shoulder spoke, "I want you to remember something," it said quietly, "No matter what any one says, you're awesome to me." Gilbert heard the faint sounds of someone standing up. The voice spoke again, "Happy Birthday." it said, then the footsteps of a person walking away and a door opening and closing.

Gilbert looked up only after the door closed. He knew the voice had been sincere when it had said that. He grinned. _No one is nearly as awesome as I am and I will make sure they know that!_ he thought, then his stomach growled as if on cue. _I guess I cant be awesome on an empty stomach..._ he thought and then stood up. He almost didn't notice the little box on the ground next to him and a note that said, _I noticed you threw away your lunch, so here. Happy birthday. P.S. these are pancakes just in case you didn't know.  
_

Gilbert picked up the little box and opened it. The smell that hit his nose was heavenly. He grabbed the fork that had been with the box and almost inhaled the contents. _That just made whoever made these even more awesome! _He thought as he walked back into the cafeteria. Just then a thought hit him, _I wonder who that was... _

**ok i Would REALLY love some feed back on this please :}**

**If you are a Hungary fan, sorry but i couldn't help myself... the next chapter will be like chapter 2 but for Gilbert. I have written the same chapter about 9 times and every time they just made me want to gag or cry. i need help, like bad! so PLEASE *gets on knees and begs* help! **

**EDIT: okay i just realised how important this chappie really is... i can't replace it now that I have written the next one. and it's really important, so pay attention!**

**Reviews make my day and i could hug all of you who Review! or Mattie or Gilbert!**


	4. Chapter 4

AN: hey guys, i know you either hate me or have no idea who i am, but here is the next chapter of When We Were Kids!

Disclaimer: really, Really? do i even need to tell you? ugh fine, I don't own Hetalia or the characters accept Andrea Williams-Jones.

* * *

Gilbert looked up when a small square of white paper appeared on his desk. He sighed and grabbed it before the teacher saw it and gave him dentition. Again. Mom was already mad about his all A and two B report card. He honestly didn't care either way if he got good grades, or not. Better grades meant more expectations, and he was tired of that. All he wanted was to be left alone. He was tired of it all. He was tired of all the teachers and his mom putting down their expectations. The only persons expectations he lived up to now were his own. He sighed and looked down at the note.

On the outside was a rose, signalling that the note was from Francis. He opened it, thinking it was probably another weird picture that Francis thinks he just _has _to see, so he was surprised to see words.

FB: Hey, guess what!

GB: what? What could be so damn important that you would risk getting the awesome me another detention?

He wrote and folded the paper back up. He drew a small chick by the rose, and passed it back. The pictures served as a way to know who was in the written conversation, as well as a warning sign to people to know who to give the note back to, were they unfortunate enough to find it.

The paper appeared back on the corner of his desk. The teacher was walking around the room now, so he quickly snatched it up and hid it under his desk, while pretending to read the book he had been assigned. It was the Westing Game , and he had already finished it along with all the other books from the class, and all the memorised all the poetry, and done all the book reports. Of course, the only people who knew that were Antonio and Francis, who were both in the conversation now.

AC: Gilly, be nice to Franny!

So Francis had tattled to Toni, huh?

FB: Oui, Gilly, be nice, or I will not invite you to come!

Gilbert sighed and scribbled back his reply, keeping an eye on the teacher the entire time.

GB: Toni, you ain't my mom

Franny,What the hell are you talking about? You know The Awesome does not like mind games!

as he wrote the last sentence, he thought back to the events of last year that brought him to know his full awesomeness. He still thought about that day a lot, even though he had never told any one about it. It was his memory, and anyone else knowing would make it seem less of his and more of a shared memory. He also frequently thought about who that person was. He would hear a voice in the hallway when he dropped a book, or when he would lose a paper that would sound so much like the voice he heard that day, he would stop and look around, only to see that there was no one there whose voice sounded like that. He had even kept the note that the person had written him, He knew there was someone who had that voice in the school, but he didn't want to find out who it was. He felt like if he figured out who it was, the person wouldn't be what he expected.

Gilbert's brain brought up a different memory, but it was just as good as the last one. It was the memory of how he, Francis, and Antonio became friends. It all started on the first day of real classes of the school year. Antonio and Francis were both new students, and that was why they were not taken into a group yet. At their school, you were either there since pre-kindergarten, or you waited for a group to claim you. Gilbert, who had come in third grade, had refused to be claimed by a group, he was kind of what you would call a nomad. He had no one group, but he did things for everyone. In a fight between groups, you had the advantage if you had Gilbert on your side. The new students just had to drift until a group decided to claim them. It was horrible, but it was the way things were. Antonio and Francis had been the only new kids, so they had hung together. On that morning, Gilbert had walked up to them and introduced himself to them, breaking the rules of the groups.

"Hey there, new guys. I'm here to welcome you guys to the school! I am Gilbert Belischmidt, but you can call me Sir Awesome!" Gilbert said and stood there with a completely straight face, waiting for the others to speak. After a few seconds, Francis started chuckling, then snickering, then full out laughing. After a few seconds, Gilbert joined in, and so did Antonio. Once they could sit up straight again, Antonio spoke up.

"I am Antonio Fernandez Carrido, the Duke of Tomatoes!" he said while chuckling.

"_Oiu__, _and I am the Master of l'amoure!" and they were off again.

After that first day, you would barely see one with out the others.

The note was back to him, and the teacher was back at her desk, so Gilbert opened the note.

AC: Franny, now I'm interested, what are you talking about?

Gilly, if I were your mom, I would not be here, but at your house eating tomatoes

FB: my cousins invited me over to dinner, and they said I could bring my friends with me, so you want to go or not?

Francis's Cousin...? Gilbert thought. Who's Francis's cousin...?

GB: Whose your cousin, Franny?

What's up with you and tomatoes, Toni?

Gilbert passed the note and wondered silently if mom would let him go. He immediately knew she would. Just one less moment she had to look at his disgusting face, Gilbert caught himself thinking.

"No." he whispered to himself. He would not let himself think like that. He had loyal friends, a brother who tolerated him, and was he was smart, and that's all he thought he needed in life. He was thankful for the distraction when the note finally made it back to him.

FB: Gilly from where you are sitting look up 3 seats and 2 seats to the right.

Toni you look 3 up and 3 to the right.

NO SWEARING WE ARE IN CLASS

AC: Franny there is no way you 2 are related just NO WAY!

Gilly because they are so delishious...

Gilbert, who was now even more curious because of Toni's reaction, looked up and counted the seats off, then again, then again. What the Hell?

GB: FRANNY UR RELATED TO ALFRED JONES? EXPLAIN! NOW!

He quickly folded the note back and all but threw it at Francis. How the hell did this work out? Francis and Alfred **hated **each other, how were they related? And how did he not know this? Just then a sharp voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"_READ, _Gilbert!" the teacher said from the desk at the front of the class. Every head in the room turned his direction. He ducked back behind his book silently cursing her in his mind. He stared furiously at the book until he saw the note land back on his desk. He unfolded it and read it.

FB: His dad married my mom's sister, that makes him my uncle, and Alfred my cousin. It's not that hard. My aunt Andrea has a son too but I cant remember his name right now... but I remember that he is really cute, even for a guy! Anyway Andrea has invited me over to dinner, and she said I could bring you guys. Are you in?

AC: I'm in! Francis why do you say things like that about your cousin? Its disgusting

Gilbert grinned. Free food, a night away from his mom, and Ludwig, what could be better? Gilbert loved Ludwig to death, but, MAN, you have never met a bigger stick in the mud. A night out sounded just great!

GB: I am so there! I think it's sad that you cant even remember your own cousins name tho...

he passed the note to Francis, and went back to "reading" his book. It was only a minute before the note landed back on his desk.

FB: can you 2 come over right after school?

AC: I'd have to call mom, but I think so

GB: I think I can, mom wont care

Gilbert scribbled that back and glanced at the clock. 'That went faster than normal' he thought to himself as he gathered his books and walked to his next class.

He successfully got to his next class before realizing that he had forgotten his journal. He doubled back to his locker, grabbed the bright red journal, then nearly ran to his back to class. He was half way there when he ran into an invisible wall. He fell to the floor and heard someone else do the same.

He looked over and saw a petite honey blond boy sprawled out with his hands thrown out to catch him. The first thing that Gilbert registered about the boy was that he had no idea who this kid was and that really surprised him. He knew everyone in the school.

"Sorry dude, you okay?" Gilbert said as he stood up and brushed himself off. He held his hand out to the kid who, instead of taking his hand, started gathering up his fallen books. Gilbert leaned down to help. He piled the kids books into his arms and handed them back to the kid. Gilbert grabbed his journal and pulled the kid up by his arm. He noticed the kids arms had a lot of muscle. He wasn't sure why that fact registered in his mind, but it did.

"Kid, you alright?"he asked again, hoping that when he heard his voice, he would know who he was.

"T-thank you very much for your h-help, b-but would you p-please let g-go of me?" the kid asked, stuttering the entire time. Gilbert would never admit it, but he found it kinda cute.

"Nope," Gilbert said, grinning mischievously. "The Awesome want to know your name first."

By now, Gilbert had noticed that the kid's voice sounded very familiar, but was having trouble remembering where he had heard it before, and it was making him really mad. He just wanted the kids name and maybe that would help. He realized that the kid was talking while he was ranting in his brain.

"-ms" the kid said so quietly that Gilbert barely heard the small part he heard.

"What?"

"I said you dropped your book." the kid said barely any louder.

"What? Oh, thank-" then it hit him. The voice! The one that always helps him! The one that helped him when his awesomeness was slightly clumsy! Gilbert didn't seem to notice that the other had pulled his arm away and started running away, but if he had, he would have seen the others ears had been a bright red.

"Hey wai-" Gilbert started to say, but he was cut off by the bell. 'Well shit!' he thought as he ran to his Language classroom, tripping over the doorway in the process.

"Hey Mrs. Vincent!" he said as he fell flat. The whole class laughed and Mrs. Vincent just sighed.

"Hello, Gilbert, please take your seat." and he did. As he passed, people gave him hi-5s for style.

Gilbert went to his seat and opened his journal. The problem was, it wasn't his. It was the kid's, whose name Gilbert now knew as Matthew Williams. Apparently this was his sketchbook if the cover was anything to go by. He opened the journal to see pictures, but not just any pictures, drawings, and not just any drawings, fucking _awesome _drawings. He started flipping through the book. There were pictures of landscapes, flowers, trees, cars and almost any thing you could think of, there was a picture. He flipped through the book and towards the middle he noticed drawings of people from school, but the thing that surprised him most was how much his face would turn up. In the middle of the book there was a piece of folded paper stuck between the pages. He already felt bad about looking through the kids drawings, so he just put it back in the place he found it and kept looking through the pictures. There was one picture that was so amazing that he looked over it for a full 10 minutes. It was of himself, and it looked like the guy had spent days on this drawing. The colours and shading were spectacular, even the background was just perfect. He was sitting in a desk, by a window, the sun shining in through the window. He was wearing his favorite jeans and hoodie, and was playing with his cross necklace. He looked to be in sixth grade, and had shorter hair then he did now. What got him the most was the face. He was wearing a slight frown and you could see that he was visibly upset. He racked his brain, trying to find some recollection of there being a person sitting there and staring at him, but couldn't think of one. His eyes traveled to the date on the drawing. It was dated on the first day of school last year. Damn, he thought, this is gonna bug me.

Throughout all of his core classes he asked people if they knew what class Matthew Williams was in, and he almost always got the same answer,

"Who?" they always said, and he had no answer. He knew nothing about the guy except his name and that he was an awesome artist. Artist... Maybe the art teacher would know him!

When it came time for electives, Gilbert was so set on finding Matthew, it wasn't even funny. He tried to get a pass from the Study Skills teacher to go to the art room, but she wouldn't give him one. He just gave up when he got to the Music Production room, so he just sat down, pulled out his guitar, and tried to play, but his heart wasn't in it, and he ended up just packing up early.

It was the beginning of a new semester, and he realized that he had no idea who was in the class now. He looked around, surprised to see so many familiar faces. He saw Felix, who was tuning his bass guitar, Ivan, who was tuning his upright bass, Alfred, who was oiling his trumpet valves, Feliciano, who was having trouble with his flute pieces, and Ludwig, who was checking the drums. ' Whoa' Gilbert thought in surprise, 'I didn't know bruder was in this class!'. There were others who were focused on the schools laptops, one being Eduard.

Gilbert looked around the class room a couple times, before the odd feeling that someone was watching him registered in his brain. He looked around again, and noticed a small head of honey blond hair that he hadn't noticed before. A pair of blue- purple eyes peeked out from under the hair and long blond lashes framed them. The eyes stared at him for a moment after he spotted them, then quickly looked down, a small blush growing on the face they belonged to. Gilbert almost hit his head to the desk. The one person he had been looking for all day, and he just happened to be in his last class of the day.

He grabbed the sketchbook (he had been carrying it all day) and went over to the bo- Matthew.

"I think this is yours." Gilbert said as he handed the sketchbook to Matthew, who took it and hid it from sight. He looked at the paper Matthew was working on and grabbed it away from the boy. He also noticed that there was a drawing on the side of the desk, but left it alone. "Hey, what you writin', Mattie?"

Matthew grabbed at the music sheet. "N-Nothing!" he said as he tried to get his paper back from Gilbert. Gilbert quickly read through the paper. Then he read it again, more slowly this time. It was a song, but not just any old song, a fucking awesome song! Gilbert looked at Matthew, who had stopped struggling and was now sitting in his desk blushing furiously, and asked,

"Can I play this?"

Matthew looked like a fish the way his mouth flopped open. He snapped it shut and tried to read Gilbert's face for any sign that he was teasing him. He didn't find one. "I-I guess you c-can... i-if you really w-want to." he said after he decided that there was no point arguing with Gilbert. That and the fact that when his biggest crush looked at him, even if it were with disgust, he would do anything he was asked to do.

"Will you do me one favor, though?" Gilbert asked, pulling him from his thoughts. He had that smile that Matthew loved. It was genuine and held so much feeling that Matthew had the urge to look away, but instead he answered the question that had been directed at him.

"S-sure..." he said and let his voice trail off. Now Gilbert was looking at him. Not the looking as in trying to see what his hoodie said, the kind of looking when you try to see what was on a persons inside. Gilbert apparently found what he was looking for, because he went over to his desk, grabbed his guitar and came back over. He took it out of the case and looked back at Matthew.

"Remember you promised to do me a favour? Well, I want you to sing it." Gilbert said with a serious expression on his face.

Matthew, on the other hand, looked ready to be sick. He stared horrified at the ground . He never sang in front of anybody, not even his mother when. He always thought that people would laugh and call his voice girl-y, and he thought that only because it had happened to him more than once. He was now very paranoid about people hearing him sing. He was terrified of what Gilbert would think if he heard his singing voice. Heck, it took all his nerves to look at him and talk, but now here stood his crush, asking him to sing. Matthew gulped and looked up. Big mistake. Gilbert was staring at him with puppy dog eyes that beat Alfred's by a long shot. He sighed. I am such a push-over, he thought to himself.

"Um... o-OK..." he said, and was rewarded with his favourite smile. Oh well, he thought to himself, as long as he can smile at me like that, I'm fine.

Matthew, who had written the music for guitar, was happy that Gilbert could read it, but at the same time kept reminding Gilbert that he had just wrote this and it probably wont sound very good. Gilbert just laughed and said let's go. Matthew played along with Gilbert until he got it, then Gilbert played on his own. Matthew was still dreading the moment when he would have to sing, but not as much now. He felt like he had a friend now. He knew it was just a feeling, but it still felt good. He never had many friends.

"Mattie I think I got it now, so let's try it with the vocals!" Gilbert said, while truthfully he just wanted to hear Matthew sing. He had been looking forward to this since he proposed the idea. The kid could draw, the kid could write music, and now he wanted to see if he could sing.

Gilbert started the opening to the song and Matthew felt like he was going to hurl. As the music neared his cue, he looked at Gilbert's face. He opened his mouth and just sang like he was alone. He sang softly, so no one else would hear, but it was beautiful all the same. He sang like he did to himself when his parents forgot him, when he was mistaken for Alfred, when he felt sad.

Gilbert almost stopped playing when he heard Matthew's singing voice. It was like he was hearing the most uplifting sound in the world. It was like that day in the hallway, when that single person made him feel better with such few words. He almost stopped playing, but then realised that if he did, Matthew would stop. He played till the end of the song, and when it ended, he didn't want it to stop. He just stared at Matthew, who was blushing and looking uncomfortable. How could anyone ignore this kids awesomeness? It was un-fair! There were people like Matthew, who were ignored and unappreciated, while other kids were popular for their money and looks. It's not a a talent to be rich, but they still are the ones who get the credit for shit that they didn't do, and money that isn't theirs. Okay, he'll admit that his parents are rich, but he doesn't flaunt it, he doesn't even tell people what his parents do until he trusts them. Oh shit Mattie just said something.

"What? I didn't catch that." Gilbert said, looking innocent.

"Never mind..." Matthew said, blushing. That only made the albino want to know more.

"What did you say?"

"N-Nothing!"

"Tell me!"

"No!"

"Tell me!"

"No!"

"Tell me!"

"Okay, fine, I asked if you want to play another..." Matthew caved.

"Oh..." said Gilbert, who had been expecting something worse. "Yeah, I do!" He then glanced at the clock. "Wow I think that's the fastest that this class has gone, we only have 10 minutes left."

Matthew glanced at the clock and saw that Gilbert was right, it was 2:55 P.M.

"Hey, how about we go get copies of the music from the office, then we can both play in the next class?" Gilbert proposed. He hoped that Mattie didn't think of him as a stalker or some shit like that, but, hell, he didn't care as long as Mattie still talked to him, even if it was only to tell him he dropped his book.

Matthew looked sad for some reason. "Gilbert, I-I don't think that's such a good idea..." Actually he thought it was an amazing idea, but he was sure that Gilbert would forget him like everyone else had.

Gilbert was kinda hurt by that, but would never admit to it. "Okay then, I'll see you later then!" Gilbert said with false cheeriness. He turned to walk away when he noticed the look on Matthew's face. It was sad, beyond sad. It was the expression that said 'I fucked up big time'. Matthew turned his head so that Gilbert couldn't see it. He turned back towards Mattie. He couldn't leave someone with an expression, he just couldn't. Plus, he was a sucker for cute things, and Mattie was was just down-right fucking adorable. Whoa, he thought to himself, did I just think that! He shook his head and tried to think of some way to make Matthew feel better.

"Hey, Mattie, what's this?" Gilbert asked, reaching for the paper on Matt's desk that he had ignored earlier, fully knowing what it was.

Mattie grabbed for the paper, but was too slow. Gilbert grabbed the paper and held it out of Matthew's reach. He looked at the paper, expecting it to just be a doodle, but he was surprised to see an almost complete drawing. A fucking awesome drawing. It had him, holding his guitar, a thoughtful expression on his face. Gilbert looked from the picture to Matt, who was currently trying to melt into his seat.

"Holy shit, dude, this is awesome!" he said, causing Matthew to look up at him with startled eyes. "How long did it take you?" Gilbert asked with genuine interest. He was an artist himself, so he found it really interesting.

"Um..." Matthew said, wondering if Gilbert was making fun of him, "About 10 minutes..." he said and he watched as Gilbert's eyes widened. Matthew, who took that as a sign of disapproval, quickly tried to redeem himself, "W-well it is a rough sketch, a-and it was just a-a doodle, so it's not m-my best work... I-I know i-it's pretty bad..."

Gilbert looked at Mattie like he had just grown another head. "Matthew, _Shut up! _This super fucking awesome!" he said, and Matthew again tried to melt into the seat. A moment later, the bell rang, signalling the end of class. Matthew grabbed the paper out of Gilbert's hand, shoved it into his sketchbook, gathered all his stuff and turned to leave. Gilbert, who had no idea what was happening, just stood and watched in amazement, thinking of how fast the other had moved.

Once Matthew was out of the classroom, Gilbert got his stuff and went to his locker to get any books he might need. Needless to say there were very few, only maths and his journal, which Matthew had some how slipped into his book pile in his rush for the door. Then, Gilbert walked back to his home room to get the end of the day announcements. In the hall he kept an eye out for the mop of honey blond hair, but only saw one head of hair that resembled it, and he knew to wasn't the right person because it was on Alfred, who he knew for a fact wasn't anywhere near related to Matthew.

Once out of home room, Gilbert met up with Francis and Toni and walked to Francis' house. Once there, Francis claimed the recliner, leaving the couch for the other two.

"Franny, what time are we going to your aunts house?" Gilbert asked while propping his feet up on the coffee table.

"We need to leave around five, and did you call your mom? I don't want to think of the things she would do to you if you didn't come home." Francis said while leaning back in his chair. "And my mom hates it when you do that."

Antonio pushed Gilbert's feet off the table. " Gilly, let's not piss off to many people today, _Si_?" he said smiling sweetly.

Gilbert glared as his feet hit the ground, a bruise from a few days before hitting the bar. "Have I ever told you that you're the meanest of us all?"

Antonio just smiled more. "I think you have." was all he said.

"Stop it, guys," Francis said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Tonight I don't want any bad behaviour, or fighting or being yourself in general."

Gilbert burst out laughing. "That's like telling Feli not to be happy! It's just doesn't work out!"

Antonio, on the other hand, liked the idea very much. "Gilbert, how 'bout a bet?"

The effect was instantaneous, Gilbert stopped laughing and starred at his friend. "What kind of bet?" He asked wearily. He had a few bad experiences with his friends and bets, the worst of which were asking Elizabeta out and pantsing Alfred. How was he supposed to know Alfred wore Union Jack boxers?

"Relax," Antonio said, seeing his friends horrified face. "It's just to see who can behave the best tonight. Loser buys all the pizza next movie night." he stated. He knew that Gilbert's weakness was any thing money related. His mom hated to give him money.

Gilbert jumped at the opportunity. "Okay deal!" he said, holding out his hand to seal the deal.

Antonio had started to see the holes in his plan. What if Gilbert lost? His pride would be hurt, but not as much as his body if he had to ask his mother for even more money. They were Gilbert's best friends, did he think they didn't notice the bruises and cuts he got? Or the random un-explained absences? "Hey Gil, I'm starting to not like this bet, I'm calling it off." He couldn't let Gilbert do that.

"Yes Gil, I don't like this deal either." Francis agreed quickly. He had tried to think of a way to call this off since Toni had proposed it. He now saw comprehension dawn on Gilbert's pale face. 'He caught us' Francis thought.

"Guys, I know why you don't want to do this, but I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself." he said. He was slightly mad that his friends were trying to lie to him, but he couldn't bring himself to be really mad. He knew that his friends saw more that the other people, but did they already know that much?

Francis just smiled. "Yes, of course you are Gilly, but we need to go or we are going to be late."

They all stood up to leave, but before they could start walking, Gilbert pulled the other two into a group hug. Amidst all the shouts, Gilbert said a whispered thank you. He knew they got it because they hugged him back before both walking towards the door. He just stood there, watching his friends backs. He all the sudden started thinking of Matthew. Why now, he had no idea, but he just let the thoughts come, while walking with his friends to Francis' aunt's house. His brain brought up random details about the kid, like how he had two long thin bruise on his wrists, and that his hair looked kind of like Francis'. He thought of Matthew's voice, where he heard it, and why he felt it was more than just those times in the hall. Dammit, this was gonna bother him! Then Francis' words penetrated his thoughts.

"Matthew is just so quiet and cute! He is what you would call a person who looks weak, but damn, he can beat your ass to kingdom come and back if you make him mad or you go against him in hockey!" Francis said, and Gilbert wondered why his brain had picked this up. "And he's an artist! He is one of the best I've ever seen! He once drew me and I thought it was a photo, it was that realistic!" did this sound familiar? "But probably the most specular thing about him is his eyes, he can look you in the eyes and you will automatically feel like you can save the world! Okay, maybe no that, but it can make a bad day better with just one look! They are this really deep blue, almost purple, but who has ever heard of purple eyes? Oh look we're here." Francis said as they turned onto a path that led up to a nicely sized house. It was gray with white accents and windows, and looked to be two stories with an attic. The attic window looked down on the front yard. Gilbert could have sworn that he saw a flash of honey blond hair, but when he looked back it was gone.

"Francis, what did you say your aunts name was, again?" Gilbert asked, putting pieces together.

Francis looked confused. "Andrea Williams-Jones, why?"

"Williams? As in her son's name is Matthew Williams?" he asked weakly. He felt really stupid for not piecing this together earlier.

"Yes it is why?" Francis asked, looking at his best friend like he had lost his mind. "Gilbert, _Mi amigo_ are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." he said, gradually getting his composure back. "Let's do this!" he said, more to himself than anyone. This night just got a whole lot more interesting, Gilbert thought to himself and smiled.

Then the door and the smile just got bigger. "Hey, Mattie, I kept my promise!" he said to the shocked blond who had opened the door.

"Come on in guys!" Matthew said to the guests. "Just go on into the living room, and make your selves comfortable!" Once they were out of sight, he sunk to the ground. Murder me now, he thought as he hit his head against the wall. This is going to be interesting. Matthew thought to himself, a grimace on his face.

* * *

AN: And there you have it. want it to end? please feel free to say so. Antonio got kinda lost at the end there...

a big thank you to all my reviewers! you guys are the only reason this is even up or written for that matter...you guys made my day so many times!

big thank you to Axxi who was one of the only reasons the Bad touch trio is in this, and for listing to my mindless babbles. i promise you that i haven't forgot the one-shot!

and another one for ImaduckQuaQua, who helped me with the name, you get a big hug or a one shot, you choose! thank you for everyone's awesome reviews! they make my day every time i look at them!

i love you all, and please review! free cookies to anyone who does!


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Hey Guys! if you are reading this, that means that I actually updated and that I got over my writers block. YAY for that!

Disclaimer: seriously? Do I really need to do this? Fine I own nothing but the plot- thingie no matter how much I wish other-wise

Now, on with the sho- erm... story! (I'm going to get it right one of these days...)

Oo0o0o0o0o0o0o

Matthew looked into his living room for what felt like the millionth time. Yep, he was definitely still there. His first and only crush sat there on his couch, seemingly completely oblivious to Matthew fretting. He walked back into the kitchen and stirred the pot on the stove. It was really Austin's turn to cook dinner, but the whole house knew that he couldn't cook well at all, so when ever it was Alfred's, who was too lazy, or Austin's turn, Matthew just ended up doing it, which meant he had a lot of practice in the kitchen. He was a fair cook, but not yet as good as his mother, she was still much better than him, but he was getting there. It also meant that he cooked every night but Saturday, because his mother worked all the other nights.

His math book sat open to the page they were doing that night for homework. In between stirs, he would go over and do a math problem. He needed to finish all his homework before he went to hockey tomorrow, or he would never get it done. He was always there late, improving his skating or just having fun people watching. It may sound weird, but Matthew loved to do it. He would watch peoples expressions just to see if what they were saying matched what they were truly feeling, and more often then not, it didn't.

"Mattie~~! Is dinner almost ready yet?" his brother yelled from the doorway. He wasn't allowed into the kitchen while Matthew was cooking after an incident involving Matthew, Alfred, Kumajiro, maple syrup, and Rice Crispies.

"Al, the more you ask me that, the slower it'll be. So go away." he was used to Alfred being a brat by now.

Alfred pouted. "But Mattie~! Francis has groped me four times already~!" he whined. Matthew wasn't surprised, but Alfred hadn't known Francis all his life, so he gets a free pass.

"Fine, about 10 minutes." he said and shooed Alfred back to the living room. He was happy that he was cooking. Otherwise, Francis would have already claimed how girly he was, and no matter how many times he hears it, it always makes him feel bad, and now his biggest crush was there to make him even more sensitive to any cracks at his gender. He could not promise that Francis would come out of that alive.

He went back to stirring the sauce. He was making pasta, mostly because it was easy and fast, and no one had thought to tell him they were having company. When Alfred had told him, had been _after_ he had opened the door and let them in. Alfred had seen how Matt got when he was really mad, and had high-tailed it to the living room to entertain the guests.

Matthew, who was pissed beyond pissed, had announced that he was going to get ingredients, and run out of the house and to the grocery store at the corner. He had been stuck as to what to get, so he just grabbed the easiest thing to make, which was bread, pasta noodles, a couple of tomatoes, and some lettuce. Now he had almost everything done, except he hadn't drained the pasta. While he was doing that, he heard a loud crash. Matthew who was holding a pot of hot water and noodles, splashed hot water all over his arm. Needless to say, Matthew was pissed again, but he hid it well as he set the pasta on the table and went to get the others for dinner. The sight that met him could have made him face palm so hard it would have left a permanent mark.

Alfred was rolling on the floor with Francis, both trying to strangle the other while Gilbert and Antonio sat and watched, not surprised at all.

He didn't even want to know. He stepped in and grabbed them by the back of their tee-shirts and held them apart. He glared at Alfred.

"Didn't I say to be nice to our guests?" He said and you could practically see the anger rolling off of him. Alfred, who, for once in life, read the atmosphere, looked about ready to shit his pants, Matthew noticed with amusement. Francis looked equally scared. "Dinner is ready." he stated and shoved the two he had a hold of towards the door. He had forgotten about the other two in the room.

"Damn Mattie! That was shit your pants scary!" Said Gilbert while Antonio nodded along, looking at Matthew like he had never seen him before. Matthew felt sick.

"Hope you like dinner, it's pasta. Sorry it's so simple, but no one told me you were coming." he said while inching towards the stairs.

"Pasta?" Toni said and bolted towards the dining room. Gilbert, on the other hand, stayed and just looked at Matt, who was getting uncomfortable.

"What?" he said, and it came out like a challenge more than a question.

"I'm just wondering why." Gilbert said with a look on his face that Matthew had seen only one person use when looking at him, and that was his mother.

"Why what?"

"Why do you let people push you aside? You're like amazing at everything, plus from what I just saw you could beat some ass, but you let others take the spotlight? Why do you let them do it?" Gilbert wasn't trying to be mean, he was just genuinely curious.

"I don't know what you t-talking about." Matthew said, "P-Please, enjoy your dinner!" and he quickly bolted up the stair.

Gilbert, who had no idea why Matt had run, had the odd urge to run after him. He had no idea why, so instead he went into the dining room. He sat down at one of the empty seats and started piling noodles and sauce onto his plate. He didn't notice that Francis was watching him, or that Alfred was claiming how awesome he was. He was too caught up in his thoughts. Why had Mattie run? Did Gilbert scare him? No, he had been fine in MP class, so why did he run now? Was it something he had said? He took a bite of the pasta and his thought process almost stopped. This was _fuckin'_ Awesome pasta! Like drool-worthy pasta. 'Another thing on the list of awesome things Mattie does,' He thought 'Awesome cook!'

After dinner, everyone, but Matthew, Gilbert noted, was in Alfred's room, playing on his X-Box. Gilbert, who claimed he had to pee, wondered around like a lost person 'trying to find the bathroom'. He could find it if he really wanted to, that was just his his excuse to try and find Mattie's room. He passed a lot of doors, but when he opened them, they were just storage rooms. He came to another stair case, this one slightly hidden by a few walls. He looked up the stairs just to see darkness with a bit of light that was showing around a white door decorated with a red maple leaf and a caution sign. Gilbert, who had no sense of personal space, walked up the stairs and grabbed the door handle to open the door, but stopped suddenly when he heard a voice.

"What should I do, Kuma? I really like him, but he's Francis' best friend! Well, I guess Francis might not mind, considering that he is Francis, but Gilbert probably doesn't even know I exist! He probably doesn't even know that it was me in the hall last year! Shit! I sound like a fucking school girl!" enter sound of head coming in contact with wall, here. "Ow... okay I needed that. Plus, he probably doesn't swing that way, anyways. And I even lost my temper in front of him! Argh." Gilbert almost fell backwards down the stairs when he understood what Matthew was talking about. Matthew Williams, the kid who was good at almost everything, liked him! Him, the awesome fuck up known as Gilbert Belischmdit. As much as he may claim that he is awesome, he really was just a fuck up. Not even his own mother could look him in the eye without a look of disgust coming onto her face. The only people who could even look at him without disgust were down stairs, probably talking about tomatoes and groping their host. Wait, no. Mattie had never looked at him with any trace of disgust, he realized with a jolt. He went over all the times that Matthew had even glanced at him and never once came up with a look that was any lower then innocence. Matthew spoke up once again. "But I can be happy that he noticed me long enough to hear my song. But Kuma, he had me sing! I almost ran. I don't sing anymore, you know that. The last time I sang for anyone was before Austin and Alfred came, and even then, I only sang for mum. But I couldn't say no, or he might have left! But I'm happy I did, cause he smiled through the whole song and didn't once call my voice girl-y! NO! I need to stop thinking like a fucking school girl!" another sound of head hitting the wall. The kid's gonna get brain damage, Gilbert thought. "Fuck this! I need some pancakes" Matthew said and then foot steps towards the door sounded. Gilbert, who was having a brain fart, just ran down the stairs as quietly as he could. Moments later, the door opened to reveal Matthew, who had changed out of his school uniform and was now wearing stone-washed jeans and a v-neck Tye-dye tee-shirt that clung to him and Converse. Gilbert looked up at Mattie with wide eyes. He was cute, like really cute. Matthew saw Gilbert standing at the bottom of the stairs and suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Can I help you?" He asked, blushing slightly when he realized how rude he sounded.

"I was just lookin' around." Gilbert lied smoothly.

Matthew mumbled something and then said more clearly, "OK, then." and walked down the stairs.

Gilbert looked at Mattie "Mattie, why did you not want to copy the music earlier?" he asked, cause it had been bothering him since then.

Matthew, who saw no harm in answering truthfully, said "Because you are going to forget me." and shrugged.

Gilbert was offended. "And why do you think that?" he said, concealing his anger well, or so he thought.

Matthew stopped walking. "Sorry if I offended you, but it's true. Everyone forgets me." he said and Gilbert could see a hint of sadness in his eyes, but it was gone before he got a good look at it.

"The Awesome me would never forget you!" he said, with the accompanying hand gestures.

Matthew just started walking again. "Of course not." he said with very well concealed sarcasm.

Gilbert felt the need for a subject change. "Hey do you know what you sound like when you sing?" he said, knowing that Matthew would jump to the conclusion that he would say a girl.

Matthew's shoulders slumped. "Je vais me tuer si vous dites que son i comme une fille!" he muttered to himself more then Gilbert.

Gilbert took that as a "what?". "You sound like a bird!" he said and smiled. "And you kinda act like one too. With the quiet and stuff."

Now Matthew really needed pancakes. "Err... thank you, I think." he said as they were passing Alfred's room. "You can go back with them if you want, I wont mind." he said and kept walking, knowing that Gilbert would go back with the others.

Gilbert caught up to Mattie. "Mattie, what are pancakes?" he asked.

Matthew stopped by the shock that Gilbert had chosen him over the others and that Gilbert didn't know what pancakes were. "You don't know what Pancakes are!"he said

Gilbert smiled sheepishly and shook his head. In truth, he did know what they were, but his mind had just put stuff together and he realized that Matthew was the one in the hall, so he wanted to know if they were as good as he thought or if it had just been the situation that had made them taste so good. He was starting to think there were a couple holes in his plan because Matthew caught his wrist in an iron grip and started pulling him towards the kitchen, muttering under his breath in French.

"Birdie, you okay?" Gilbert asked timidly. Matthew just jerked his head in response.

"Je le savais, il ne sait pas!" (I knew he did not know!) Matthew said loudly, and a door opened behind them. "Il ne se souvient même!"(he does not even remember!)

"Matthew, ce qui est la question? Vous avez l'air prêt à déchirer le bras de Gilbert de réduction!" (Matthew, what is the matter? You look ready to rip Gilbert's arm off!) a voice behind them said and they both turned around to see Francis walking towards them.

"Rien..." Matthew said, loosening his grip on Gilbert's arm. "Je vais bien."(nothing... I'm fine)

Gilbert felt slightly left out. "What are you guys saying?" he demanded with an adorable pout on his face.

"Nothing." Matthew said and started walking again. There was a slight was to the way he walked that fascinated Gilbert, and he was not looking at his ass. He stood there in the hall, having been left behind by Matthew .

Francis took one look at Gilbert's expression and face palmed. After all the time that Matthew had liked Gilbert,(he had not read Matthew's journal, why would you think so?) he chooses _now_ to like him back. He had never understood a lot of things about his cousin, but this had surprised him the most. He had, had a crush on Gilbert since he had Matthew had moved schools, because of some incident that had Gilbert doing something for Matt, he didn't remember specifics, Matthew had caught him before he could read any good stuff. "Idiot." he said.

"Hey, what did I do?" Gilbert asked and sounded like a little kid.

"He's liked you for years, you know that right? He was there helping you, and you didn't even notice! Every time you lost or forgot something, he was there to help you! God you are such an idiot!" Francis said while glaring at his friend. "Now, go after him, or I will personally beat the living crap outta you."

Gilbert, who was extremely confused, half walked half ran away from Francis, in the general direction of the kitchen, trying to put his act back together before he faced Matthew. He reached a door that he believed to be the kitchen and opened it, quickly finding out that it was not the kitchen but a small room filled with drawings and paintings and general art supplies. There were pictures everywhere, and they all had the same general style as the drawings in Matthew's sketchbook. He started to walk into the room before he heard a gasp and felt a hand on his arm. He turned to see a very pissed Mattie with a very, very scary expression on his face.

"What are you doing in there?" Mattie said in a voice that held a threat.

Gilbert gulped. "I was looking for the kitchen." he said as innocently as he could.

Matthew, who seemed surprised at his answer, let go of his arm and looked at the floor. "I'll take you there."

Gilbert was now super curious about what the room was. "Hey Birdie, what is this room anyways?" he asked and took a step into the room, and away from Matthew's grip. He walked around the room looking at all the art in the room, then looked back to Matthew, who looked ready to cry. "What's wrong, Birdie?" he asked and walked back over to Matthew. Matthew looked at him then at the floor, not planning to answer. Gilbert, who had a didn't like being ignored, asked again, and this time Matthew mumbled something. "Sorry, what?" he asked.

"No one has ever come into this room but me." Matthew said while backing up slowly. He was scared. No one went in there but him anymore. But Gilbert had. He had walked in like it was nothing. Without warning, Matthew turned and ran towards the back stair case, not caring that he left a very baffled Gilbert behind. He ran all the way to his room, not bothering to lock the door. No one cared if he was upset.

Gilbert stared after Matthew in shock with a "WTF?' look on his face. What just happened was a total mystery to him. He shook his head trying to clear it. He walked in the general direction of Alfred's room, only to come into contact with a fist, connected with a very very pissed Francis.

"What the fuck did you do to him?" he spat at Gilbert. Said person just fell to the floor in shock. "I asked you a question, what did you do to him?" he said again, face twisting into a furious expression.

Now Gilbert was pissed, too, he had done nothing wrong! "I walked into a room that I thought was the kitchen, and Matthew turns up all pissed and stuff and then gets all quiet then he runs off! I don't think I committed a capital crime!" he said, standing up so he could fight back it needed.

Then Francis does something really weird, he dropped his fists and looked really confused, then a look of comprehension, quickly followed by his face going pale and he slipped to the floor. "Gilbert," he said, sounding like he would like nothing better than to strangle the other. "Can you show me that door that you went into?"

Gilbert, who rather liked his life, turned and walked to the door and put his hand on the door frame. "This one, why?" he said and turned around to see an even paler Frenchman standing there.

"Oh mon Deiu, Matthieu!"(Oh God, Matthew/ Oh my God, Matthew!) he said before taking off to the stairs that led to Matthew's room.

Gilbert found himself walking slowly after Francis. The message was clear that Francis didn't want him to be anywhere near Matthew, but he couldn't keep away. He felt horrible, and that was a pretty big accomplishment, considering that the only people who could do that was Toni and Ludwig, and occasionally Francis. By now he was at the steps to Matthew's room and he could hear voices coming from behind the closed door. He walked up the stairs to hear better.

"-way, Francis! I want to be alone!" he heard Matthew say in his overly quiet voice. There was a slight edge to his voice, and he sounded like he had been crying. Gilbert's heart clenched.

"Matthew, I know what happened, and if you think I'm going to let you stay here and wallow in the memories, you are grievously mistaken." Francis said in a father like voice that he reserved for when he was with Matthew. He didn't know why, but he had felt like a big brother to the kid since they had been young. He looked at Matthew's eyes and saw the hurt that he hid behind the hard shell of his eyes. He saw the hurt, but mostly he was reminded of how Matthew had looked after it had all happened. He remembered it well, despite the years that had past.

"Matthew..." he said and was suddenly thrown off balance as a heavy mass hit him. He stumbled and looked at the mass with confusion. "Matthew...?" he repeated.

"Francis, I think I'm ready to talk about it..." said boy said and sat down on the floor, grabbing his stuffed bear, Kumajiro. "But, first, I think Gilbert should join us, since we all know eves-dropping is really rude..." he said and was pleased to hear the thump that came from the other side of the door and the profanity that followed.

Gilbert entered the room, rubbing his forehead where he had hit it against the door. "Sorry bout that..."he mumbled and plopped down on the floor next to Francis' feet.

Francis sighed but sat down and looked at Matthew. "Are you sure...?" he started but let the question drop off at the end when he saw the determined look in Matthew's eye. _Yes, _he thought, _he's sure._

XxXxXxXxXx

AAAnd that's the end of this chappie! Man I am such a hypocrite! I always complain at cliffhanger endings, but then I turn around and write one! sorry it got so long and ramble-y but I enjoyed writing it, probably much more than I should... oh well!

I hate when you think of all these awesome authors notes while writing, but then you can't remember them at the end! umm... yeah Alfred and Toni _STILL_ haven't noticed that the other two are gone...

Reviews would help me get these out faster, but I'm just happy that I passed 20! and I promise Axxi, I have not forgotten the one shot! I love you all, FYI.

Please, some constructive criticism would be nice!

Random stuff: I probably listened to Those Nights by Skillet over a hundred times as I wrote this...


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, guys, this chapter is going to be filled with a fail kidnapping and other things of the like. Just a fair warning. And I forgot to list the pairings but I guess you guys will just have to wait and see.*evil smile* just kidding they are up for suggestions if you want, but I am using PruCan(yeah) JoKer Spamono and ItalyXGermany, cause those are kinda already in the story line to some degree but the others are up for vote. So vote in a review if you want!

I couldn't think of a name for Germania, so I just used Hans, and Marcelo for Rome. Yeah, I know I'm a loser.

Sorry it is so short! I wanted to put this up so you know that i haven't forgotten! I will be trying to post more often!\

I went through and fixed a couple things, but not much, so if you see anything that i missed, tell me! all mistakes are mine!

Warnings: potty mouths and other stuff...

Disclaimer: Lil' sis of author: HEY! **pokes **hurry up! No sleeping now!

Me: when I asked you to make sure I finished this chapter, I didn't mean annoy the shit outta me...

Sis: I know, I see it as a perk.

Me: STOP POKING ME!

Sis: hehe not till you write the Disclaimer!

Me: I DON'T OWN HETALIA! there, now stop!

Sis: Now, write the chapter!

Me: I hate you...

Sis: I know that too, ENJOY THE STORY!

Me: that's my line...

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Matthew opened the door to his house, sighing. He knew this was the day his mom was supposed to work late, but that didn't mean that he didn't still wish that she would be there, waiting for him. He was still glad that she trusted him enough to give him a key and let him walk home on Wednesdays. Most people wouldn't let a kid who was still in third grade walk home, but his mother had trusted him. It was a warm fall day and Matthew had shed his coat half-way home. He walked into the kitchen, and immediately saw that something was off. His mother, ever the environmentalist, always turned off the lights before she left and made sure all the windows were closed, but today all the kitchen lights were on and the window above the sink was open, screen popped out. Matthew, who was naive, thought that she had just been in a hurry that morning, and ignored it. He walked down the hall to the 'studio' as he and his mother called it. This was his favourite room of the house, no doubt. Here, he could be alone with his thoughts, and he had figured out that when his mother had a 'friend' over, he could sit in there all night and not have to hear a thing that was going on. That part really sealed the deal for him. He loved the room because it was where he could do his art without other people coming and bothering him. He knew that there were only two people who lived in the house, but his mother constantly had 'friends' over and they always wanted to be alone for some reason. During these visits, his mother would tell him,

"Matthew, go into the studio and don't come out until I tell you that it is okay. After that, we can make dinner." and smiled with no emotion. Matthew, who always did what his mother said, would sit quietly until she came back hours later, always having fresh clothes and new make up on. She would then tell him what a good boy he was for being so quiet and then they would make dinner. Matthew, who was no idiot, could tell that the people his mother worked with were not all good people and that she was hiding him for a reason. He once questioned her on why she was hiding him, and the answer he had gotten was not what he expected.

"These people will hurt you, Mattie, and I could never live with myself if that happened." she had said and then hugged him with tears in her eyes. Matthew hated seeing his mother cry, so he never asked again.

As he entered the Studio, he knew that something wasn't right. He saw that the lights were on and the door ajar. His mother had put a lock on that door so that only she and Matthew could open it. Matthew began to open the door, when a voice spoke out from behind him.

"So you're Matthew..."

Matthew jumped and turned around. His mother had once told him that if there were anyone in the house but her when he came, he should call her. Even at the time, Matthew could see the gaping holes in the plan, but had had said nothing, not expecting to ever have to use it. He heard footsteps start down the hall and turned and sprinted into his mothers room. She had a phone in there he could use. He had picked up the phone and dialled the number before the person had come into the room and dragged him back to the Studio. Matthew had never been so scared. He thrashed the whole way until the man had hit him over the head and he had blacked out.

Matthew didn't know how long he had been passed out, but he guessed only a few minutes because the man was still there, looking at the paintings. He was crying. Matthew had pictured a lot of situations like this, but, in those, the captor had been a raving lunatic and been laughing the entire time. Matthew, who now realized that he was binded around the ankles, sat up on the couch that the man had placed him onto. He felt sorry for the man, even though he was the one tied up, he felt that the man was more trapped than he was.

The man looked around at Matthew when he sat up. "Did you paint these?" he asked in a soft voice. Matthew felt that he had heard it somewhere before.

"Yessir." he replied and looked at his knees. He was still trying to figure out where the voice was from.

The man now started crying even more. "You really did get your mother's talent for art. She is amazing." he stopped to wipe his eyes. Matthew now realized that they were the colour of honey, an off gold colour. He waited for the man to continue. "I guess you have no idea who I am, huh?"

Matthew answered with a blank stare.

The man continued, "Come on, Matthew, think! Anything?" he nearly begged.

Matthew 's brain pulled up one answer, but he knew it couldn't possibly be right, mom said he had died. "I'm sorry sir, but I do not know." he answered, flinching at the hurt that went through the man's eyes.

"I guess that's what I get for staying away so long." said the man, looking down at the floor. "How old are you Matthew?"

Matthew saw no harm in the truth. "Eight." he said while scooting away from the man who was coming closer.

"Eight years old. Eight years I've been gone. Eight years that you mother ignored my calls and requests to see you, just so I could tell you myself" Matthew now remembered the voice form the calls that had come to his mother's cell phone. This worried Matthew more because those messages always held threats about hurting Matthew if the sender didn't get to see him. Matthew tried to scoot as far away from the man as possible without being noticed, but being tied up didn't allow that. He fell onto his side with a surprised squeak. The man didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't care. "Now, Matthew, tell me, who am I?"

Matthew was so confused. "I'm sorry sir, but I don't know!" he said, his voice getting loud like it did right when he wanted it to be quiet.

The man just looked at him sadly. "Okay then, Matthew, may I know your middle name?" he asked.

"No." Matthew said, the response all but programmed into him. Mother said never to tell any one his middle name, unless they could say the one word that only the people he could trust knew. "I'm Sorry, but no."

The man looked taken back. "No? You are not going to tell your own father's best friend your middle name?" he said with a smirk.

Matthew was confused. "My father died years ago, and left us with nothing, so why would I trust his best friend?" he shouted. The front door was heard opening and the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the house. Matthew heard the panicked cry of,

"Matthew, Where are you?" from his mother, and opened his mouth to yell back but was suddenly cut off by a large hand that covered his mouth.

"We can't have her bursting in on our alone time, can we?" the man said while picking Matthew up, one hand still covering his mouth. Matthew soon realized what the man planned to do and started to struggle. You see, the Studio had a closet. Matthew just happened to not like the dark. AT ALL. In fact, he was down right terrified of it. So, needless to say, Matthew and closets do not mix. He flailed and kicked till he landed one right in the soft spot. The man dropped him and Matthew screamed like his life depended on it. The man caught his breath again and managed to put his hand back over his mouth and pick him up, but it was too late. Matthew's mother had already heard where they were. She burst into the room, hair flying around her. She spotted Matthew in the arms of the man and stopped dead.

"Put him down!" she yelled, looking scarier than Matthew had ever seen before. Matthew suddenly felt something sharp and cool pressed against his neck. "Marcelo, if you even scratch him, I will make you wish you had never met me!"

"I'm sorry, Andrea, but he told me to do what it takes to get you back to him." Marcelo said, pressing the metal object harder to Matthew's neck. Matthew could hear the regret in his voice.

Andrea's lips twitched "When have you ever done what your told, Marc? You even broke the biggest rule! So why start now?" She said, calculating every word she said carefully. Matthew wasn't supposed to be caught up in this, ever.

Matthew felt Marcelo start shaking. "Since he took them. That's why I'm here, he'll give them back if I bring Matthew to him. But I have to bring you too. Please, Andrea, he took my Lovi and Feli!"he begged, and Matthew felt Marcelo start crying again.

Matthew didn't know much of what was going on, but he knew that there was a crying man holding him, and that he could help this man by going with him. And that this man had his loved one taken by the 'him'. That's all that registered with him."Mommy, I'm going with Marcelo." he said boldly, his quiet voice louder than ever. "He needs help, and I want to help him!" He felt Marcelo jump in surprise.

Andrea looked at Matthew's face, looking for a reason for him to say that, but found none. "Matthew, you don't know what you are talking about." she said, looking at him in the eyes, begging him to take it back. Matthew looked back with determination clear in his eyes.

"Mommy, I'm going, maybe he'll take just me-" he started but was cut off by Marcelo.

"No, you aren't to come alone. He wants you both. Thank you Matthew for coming so willingly, that makes this easier." he said, and Matthew saw a shadow come up behind his mother. "You've lost your touch, Andrea."

"MOMMY!" he shouted, but it was too late, the shadow had already hit her over the head and caught her before she could hit the floor. "MOMMY!" he shouted again.

The other man felt her neck and said "She's fine, calm down." he said to the kid, expression not changing. He had long blond hair and piercing blue eyes that looked like they hadn't seen happiness in a very long time. He had an air about him of no nonsense. Matthew struggled against the hold that Marcelo had on him. He had just gotten Mommy hurt. He had not listened to her and now she is hurt. That was his thought process as Marcelo handed him to the other man. Matthew let them take them to the car, not knowing what to do. When they got into the car, Matthew was placed by the other man, having been told to sit there quietly. He did everything he was told to do. You would too if you were in a car with two men that you had just watched knock your mother out, then take her with them. Matthew wanted nothing more than to go home and forget this had ever happened, but he somehow knew the worst was yet to come.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Fail end is fail. Sorry bout leaving you hangin' but it will take me a while to get back out of Matthew's Memory... I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT! writer's block is a huge bitch! I really went through so many endings for this story, its not even funny! Then, school had to rear it's angry head as well! SO SORRY!

Hey, if you guys are reading any of my other stories, I wanna know, do you like any of them? Most of them are just stupid stuff that I spewed, but I kinda like them...

AND IF ANYONE WANTS A ONE-SHOT, I WILL GIVE IT TO THEM! Just saying, plus my friend who is like the best writer I have ever met, will help me now because I've gotten her hooked on Hetalia. Hooked on Hetalia... sounds like a name of something...

REVIEWS ARE AMAZING! and I hand out cookies to the people who review!


End file.
